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I could not imagine washing those clothes. Some so stiff with dirt, body odor and essences they could almost walk!
posted by
Annicita
on October 2, 2021 at 5:12 AM
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I think I would have opted for working in the livery stable, mucking out horse manure.
posted by
adnohr
on October 2, 2021 at 4:09 AM
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Fascinating post. Now, a madam who also ran a scrub-up section would really be in the money.
posted by
Sea_Gypsy
on October 1, 2021 at 6:56 PM
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Re: Re: Pure lye soap is rough on tender skin when used over time.
Sassy, your comment was very interesting. I've learned something today because I had no idea this was a practice back in the day.
posted by
Goldiec
on October 1, 2021 at 2:25 PM
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Re: Pure lye soap is rough on tender skin when used over time.
Washing clothes goes back to the Stone age. Bloody knuckles are just one of the hazards of the job. With the invention of clothing came the need to wash them. I have heard that some civilizations urinated on clothing to wash out stains. Referred to as chamber-lye, the ammonia found in urine dissolved grease and bleached yellowed linens.
How People Used to Wash: The Fascinating History of Laundry (thescrubba.com)
posted by
Sherri_G
on October 1, 2021 at 11:46 AM
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Good Afternoon
Pat, I never thought about women washing clothes in the Old West. The lye soap must have been really hard on their hands but at least they made good money. Their lives were so different than what our lives are today.
posted by
Goldiec
on October 1, 2021 at 11:20 AM
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Good morning
Yes, women were more than just good company for men for fifteen minutes. I am a fan of old western stories that includes the Civil War and life from the 1860s through the 1890s when families traveled westward. A few were lucky enough to get a job cooking, but I learned quite a bit about how women survived during that time in our history from watching the Netflix western series, Hell On Wheels. Another good one is Godless, a town that is run by women in the old west. I am hoping that Godless makes more episodes. So far there are only seven.
Hell on Wheels (TV Series 2011–2016) - IMDb
Godless | Netflix Official Site
posted by
Sherri_G
on October 1, 2021 at 8:35 AM
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Of course and much more sensible. Not much glamour in doing the other, I bet the beds were a bit iffy.
posted by
C_C_T
on October 1, 2021 at 7:47 AM
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Re: TAPS
We've been reading some of the same history books! 
posted by
Pat_B
on October 1, 2021 at 6:37 AM
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The Gold fields of Alaska sound like one example of those places, or Cripple Creek Colorado in the early days. Often laundry was more lucrative than what goldminers found.
posted by
TAPS.
on October 1, 2021 at 6:30 AM
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